Published February, 2015

Name: Gabriel Monteiro Davolli

From: Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Degrees and institute where received: Medical Veterinarian (DVM equivalent), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Gabriel Davolli was involved in equine reproduction in a research environment during veterinary school in Brazil. He visited Lexington and the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center during this time, and after graduation he came back to pursue a research project through the Gluck Center as a master’s student.

“I looked forward to being responsible for the different stages of a research project—from planning to execution and analysis, under the guidance of experts in the field,” Davolli said.

Davolli has conducted research regarding hormonal therapy under the supervision of Ed Squires, PhD, Dipl. ACT (hon.), professor at the Gluck Center. Specifically, he has worked with hormones in stallions to suppress undesirable behavior.

When asked how this research will contribute to the field of equine science, Davolli said, “It has potential applications as a behavior modulator, which could be used as a substitute to castration in aggressive stallions and as treatment of stallions persistently infected with equine arteritis virus (EAV, a virus that causes equine viral arteritis [EVA], an upper respiratory tract and reproductive disease in horses). This virus depends on testosterone to survive within the reproductive tract of carrier stallions and is cleared after prolonged testosterone depletion. These carrier stallions are known for disseminating EAV through infective semen (fresh, cooled, or frozen), leading to EVA outbreaks across states and overseas.”

Davolli has also been closely involved with several research projects conducted by other doctoral students at the Gluck Center. For example, he worked with Anthony Claes, PhD, DVM, who is now an assistant professor at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, on ovarian and hormonal changes in geriatric mares. He also worked on several projects with Igor Canisso, PhD, DVM, who is now an assistant professor at the University of Illinois, involving the use of colostrum changes as a sign of impending foaling in mares and other projects related to placentitis.

“I was also lucky to collaborate in projects of other students and in preliminary trials of products to be used at the time of breeding and for semen processing,” Davolli said. “Finally, I was part of an experiment investigating the effects of the supplementation of DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) to stallions and its effects on semen quality.”

Being involved with investigations of basic biology, as well as applied studies of interest to the industry, has been a valuable learning experience, Davolli said.

“It is neat to understand that many times one project can accomplish both jobs if there is good planning, execution, and sound interpretation of the data,” he said. “On the other hand, it also teaches you to accept the inherent limitations of an experiment and how far the information can be stretched, which is where a follow-up experiment comes in.”

After finishing his master’s program, Davolli plans to begin a six-month internship with Park Equine Hospital in Lexington for the foaling season. Looking to the future, Davolli said that a residency involving the holistics of reproduction would be an excellent way to see where scientific knowledge is lacking and think of potential research ideas.

Hannah Forte is a communication intern with the UK Ag Equine Programs and Gluck Equine Research Center and undergraduate student majoring in community and leadership development at UK.